LET'S  LOOK 
AT  OURSELVES 


A  BRIEF  GUIDE  FOR  CONDUCTING 
A  COMMUNITY  AUDIT 


LET'S  LOOK 
AT  OURSELVES 


OOMETHING'S  been  happening  around  the  country  that  has 
O  folks  sitting  up  to  take  notice.  People  are  walking  around 
with  pads  and  pencils  in  their  hands,  making  notes  and  muttering 
about  audits  and  tallies.  This  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  new 
tax  schedules.  Americans  haven't  suddenly  turned  amateur 
accountants.  It's  a  new  citizenship  game  that's  got  them  buzzing 
—  a  game  that  could  be  described  as  "Let's  Look  At  Ourselves." 

What's  it  all  about?  Just  this:  in  town  after  town  people 
want  to  know  just  how  well  Americans  are  enjoying,  in  practice, 
the  freedoms  and  guarantees  that  have  in  theory  been  part  of  our 
heritage  throughout  our  history.  There  is  only  one  way  to  find 
out  and  that  is  to  look  around;  to  listen  to  testimony;  to  dig  in 
and  study  the  facts.  In  a  small  city,  study  the  whole  city.  In  large 
cities,  survey  single  neighborhoods. 

Some  months  ago  the  President's  Committee  on  Civil  Rights 
came  out  with  a  report  that  rocked  the  nation.  The  Committee 
found  that  America  was  still  far  short  of  the  great  goals  set  up  in 
our  Constitution  and  Bill  of  Rights.  The  Committee  called  on  the 
American  people  to  do  something  now  to  wipe  out  segregation 
and  discrimination  and  assure  civil  rights  for  all  our  people. 

The  job  is  big  and  it  starts  at  home  —  in  every  home  town 
in  the  nation. 

A  community  audit  can  be  started  by  a  handful  of  com- 
munity leaders  who  really  believe  in  democracy  and  want  to  make 
it  work. 

The  project  should  be  based  on  the  Report  of  the  President's 
Committee  on  Civil  Rights.  For  years  to  come  those  who  cherish 
democracy  in  America  will  be  using  that  Report  as  a  textbook 
for  action.  It  is  the  standard  by  which  you  can  measure  civil 
rights  in  your  own  town.  If  your  town  starts  a  civil  rights  audit, 
let  the  people  know  what  that  Report  says.  Publicize  the  Report 

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during  the  entire  period  of  investigation.  Use  the  Civil  Rights 
Report  to  arouse  the  public  conscience  against  whatever  short- 
comings your  study  uncovers. 

Scope  of  a  Community  Audit  on  Civil  Rights 

WHEN  YOU  start  on  an  Audit  on  Civil  Rights,  you'll  have  to 
choose  between  doing  a  big  job  or  a  little  job  or  a  medium- 
sized  job.  You  can,  if  you  want  to,  undertake  a  full-dress  scientific 
study,  but  in  most  instances  volunteer  participation  is  the  best. 
Nearly  every  city  can  do  what  Montclair,  New  Jersey,  did.  The 
citizens  of  Montclair  conducted  their  Civil  Rights  Audit  without 
paid  professional  help  —  just  average  citizens  who  got  together 
and  organized  a  community  audit  in  Montclair.  The  result?  —  a 
report  that's  made  history.  Now  the  people  of  Montclair  know 
where  they  stand  on  civil  rights.  They  know  where  to  begin  with 
a  program  to  make  Montclair  a  better  place  for  all  its  people. 
And,  in  the  process  of  taking  a  good  look  at  themselves,  they  built 
up  renewed  public  interest  in  civil  rights. 


People  are  walking  around  with  pads  and  pencils  in   their  hands. 

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Consider  the  pluses  as  well 
as  the  minuses. 


This  memo  is  about  the  Montclair  type  of  community  audit 
of  civil  rights.  It  outlines  the  kind  of  study  that  can  be  carried 
out  with  local  volunteers  only.  It  is  the  most  simple  type  of  audit. 
But,  even  though  the  facts  in  your  final  report  are  simple,  you 
must  make  sure  that  they  are  correct  and  can  be  defended  if  chal- 
lenged. Mark  out  a  program  that  does  not  go  beyond  what  you 
can  do.  Consider  the  pluses  as  well  as  the  minuses;  take  the  de- 
served pats  on  the  back  along  with  the  criticisms.  This  kind  of 
survey  does  not  have  to  be  too  scientifically  directed  and  con- 
trolled. Its  greatest  value  will  be  educational.  Those  who  partici- 
pate will  learn  things  about  their  own  town  that  they  had  not 
recognized  clearly  before.  Their  final  report  to  the  community 
will  be  a  "home-grown"  document  that  the  community  can  under- 


stand  and  accept.  Such  a  report  can  awaken  many  of  the  people 
of  your  own  town  who  would  never  read  a  sociological  survey  of 
your  or  any  other  community.  "Let's  Look  At  Ourselves"  is  the 
watchword  for  this  kind  of  community  audit. 

What  to  Investigate 

DISCRIMINATION    against    minority    groups    shows    itself 
mainly  in  the  following  areas: 

A)  Employment    (this  includes  exclusion   from   jobs  as 
well  as  unequal  wages  for  equal  work.) 

B)  Housing    (especially    restrictive   covenants   and    rent 
gouges  of  minority  groups.) 

C)  Education    (school   and  college   treatment  of  faculty 
and  students.) 

D)  Public    Accommodations     (restaurants,    stores,    thea- 
ters, bowling-alleys,  swimming  pools,  etc.) 

E)  Health    (hospitals,  clinics,  etc.  both  for  patients  and 
staff.) 

F)  Recreation   (clubs,  community  centers,  public  recrea- 
tion departments,  etc.) 

These  areas  can  be  investigated  by  local  volunteers  without 
too  much  difficulty.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  organize  the  volunteers 
into  a  workable  system  of  operation. 

Hotv  fo  Organize 

YOU  CAN  get  started  by  calling  together  just  a  few  people— es- 
pecially those  who  have  already  indicated  some  interest  in  the 
problem.  Talk  to  them  about  the  Civil  Rights  Report  of  the 
President's  Committee.  Show  them  what  was  done  in  Montclair 
and  other  towns.  Discuss  the  advantages  of  the  simple  self-survey 
carried  on  by  local  people.  Figure  out  with  them  what  persons 
and  what  organizations  should  be  drawn  into  participation  from 
the  outset.  You  may  find  people  who  are  really  concerned  about 
civil  rights  but  haven't  known  what  to  do  about  it  before.  Appoint 
a  small  committee  and  draw  up  a  tentative  program  of  action. 
At  the  next  meeting  ask  for  the  names  of  other  potential 
volunteers  and  of  sponsoring  agencies.  Plan  to  get  volunteers  from 


labor  groups,  churches,  unions,  businessmen,  veterans,  and  other 
organizations.  It  is  essential  that  the  people  taking  part  shall  rep- 
resent all  important  groups  in  the  community.  If  only  "social 
reformers"  or  minority  groups  take  part,  the  whole  effort  may  be 
less  effective.  At  this  meeting  involve  enough  persons  with  suf- 
ficient backing  to  recruit  the  needed  personnel  and  to  get  sponsor- 
ship of  desirable  organizations.  Present  the  tentative  plan  of  op- 
eration prepared  by  your  committee  and  modify  it  to  suit  those 
who  are  present. 


Plan  to  get  volunteers  ]rom  many  organizations. 


At  the  third  meeting,  decide  which  organizations  are  to  act 
as  sponsors.  Also,  discuss  the  tentative  plan  and  revise  it  into  a 
final  program  which  will  serve  as  a  blueprint  for  the  audit.  Your 
plan  should  be  fitted  to  the  size  of  your  town.  It  should  be  based 
on  the  number  of  people  who  will  take  part  in  the  audit.  It  should 
be  modified  according  to  the  amount  of  work  that  can  be  under- 


taken.  At  this  meeting  a  permanent  chairman  and  a  permanent 
secretary  should  be  chosen,  each  of  whom  must  be  willing  to  give 
enough  time  to  the  job  to  co-ordinate  all  parts  of  the  survey.  A 
small  steering  committee  must  share  the  tasks  of  direction  and 
co-ordination.  At  the  third  meeting,  or  maybe  a  fourth,  work 
should  be  assigned  to  the  investigators. 

The  actual  work  of  investigation  should  be  assigned  to  teams 
of  about  six  persons  each,  with  a  leader  who  accepts  responsibility 
for  each  team's  performance.  Each  team  should  obtain  the  aid  of 
as  many  additional  people  as  can  be  usefully  drawn  into  its  part 
of  the  auditing  project.  Each  team  needs  its  own  chairman,  vice- 
chairman  and  secretary,  all  working  closely  and  continuously 
throughout  the  project.  All  teams  should  have  a  deadline  of 
three  or  four  months  to  complete  their  reports.  When  possible, 
interim  reports  of  progress  should  also  be  made  to  be  sure  that 
things  are  running  along  according  to  schedule  and  combined 
plan.  People  with  special  knowledge  of  an  area  of  interest  should 
be  assigned  to  an  appropriate  team.  For  example,  businessmen 
and  labor  representatives  should  be  included  on  the  team  which 
will  study  discrimination  in  employment.  Real  estate  agents 
should  go  on  the  housing  team,  etc. 


Method  of  Investigation 

THE  PLAN  for  each  team  should  be  based  upon  a  very  simple 
statement  of  its  goals.  What  do  you  want  to  find  out?  Take 
housing,  for  example:  Are  there  restrictions  against  ownership 
or  rental  of  property  in  any  part  of  the  town  directed  against  citi- 
zens of  certain  racial  or  religious  origin?  How  many  restrictive  cov- 
enants have  been  recorded  in  the  County  Clerk's  office?  Has  the 
number  of  such  recorded  deeds  increased  or  decreased  in  recent 
years?  Against  which  minorities  are  these  restrictive  covenants 
directed?  Are  there  any  discriminatory  practices  against  minorities 
as  to  the  rental  of  houses  or  apartments?  In  how  many  cases? 
These  and  similar  questions  should  be  spelled  out  as  a  guide  for 


the  volunteers  on  each  investigating  team.  Make  use  of  available 
data  wherever  those  are  reliable.  List  in  advance  the  appro- 
priate sources  from  which  the  answers  to  these  questions  may  be 
obtained. 

In  some  instances  your  volunteers  will  investigate  by  search- 
ing official  records;  in  other  cases  they  will  want  to  talk  with 
public  officials.  Specific  information  and  leads  can  be  obtained  by 
direct  discussion  with  the  members  of  minority  groups  who  have 
experienced  discrimination  at  first  hand.  Wherever  possible, 
check  statements  of  individuals,  public  officials,  etc.  against  exist- 
ing facts  for  verification.  Some  aspects  of  the  audit  can  be  explored 
best  through  the  direct  tactic  of  personal  experiment.  For  exam- 
ple, alleged  discriminatory  practices  of  restaurants  and  other  pub- 
lic facilities  can  be  verified  best  by  the  direct  test  of  having  persons 
who  are  likely  to  meet  discrimination  try  to  get  service  in  such 
places,  in  the  company  of  people  who  will  surely  be  acceptable. 
There  should  be  no  insistence  on  service.  The  object  at  this  point 
is  mainly  to  obtain  information.  In  Montclair,  such  experiments 
were  carried  out  by  mixed  teams,  with  some  members  of  the  team 
sitting  at  separate  tables  and  making  careful  observation  of  the 
kind  of  service  rendered  to  the  others. 

A  system  should  be  established  for  the  careful  recording  of 
all  information  collected  by  the  teams.  Reports  should  be  written 
and  submitted  at  weekly  meetings  of  each  survey  team. 

Your  social  audit  should  be  carried  on  for  a  long  enough 
period  to  insure  full  coverage  of  all  places  where  discrimination 
can  happen;  three  or  four  months  is  only  a  suggestion.  Be  sure 
you  get  enough  material  to  make  a  solid  contribution  of  knowl- 
edge. You  would  like  to  know,  of  course,  what  the  situation  is  in 
every  restaurant  in  your  community,  and  you  would  like  to  be 
able  to  report  on  the  hiring  policy  of  every  employer  in  your  town. 
Since  you  cannot  gather  information  about  all  of  these  except  in 
very  small  towns,  be  careful  to  plan  a  good  sampling.  Don't  select 
only  doubtful  restaurants.  In  the  list  of  restaurants  to  be  sampled 
include  not  only  those  you  need  to  investigate  to  determine  their 
attitude  but  also  restaurants  whose  policies  —  good  and  bad  —  are 
well  known. 

How  much  time  and  effort  will  be  needed  can  be  gauged  by 
the  fact  that  in  a  city  or  neighborhood  of  25,000  to  50,000  popula- 


Discriminatory  practices  can  be  verified  best  by  test. 


tion,  35  people  giving  two  evenings  a  week  can  do  a  good  job  in 
about  12  weeks,  covering  the  six  areas  of  investigation. 


Presenting  the  Balance  Sheet 

BALANCE  SHEET  is  the  pay-off!  A  social  audit  on  civil 
J-  rights  in  your  town  will  be  worthwhile  only  if  it  results  in  a 
clear  and  accurate  statement,  backed  up  by  solid  facts.    Draw  up 


your  civil  rights  Balance  Sheet  and  show  in  it  what  the  virtues  of 
your  town  are  and  what  are  its  faults.  Wake  up  your  community 
with  facts. 

When  you  present  your  final  report  to  your  community,  it 
should  be  planned  and  publicized  as  a  major  civic  event.  Plan  a 
big  mass  meeting  of  citizens.  Get  all  the  newspaper  and  radio 
publicity  you  can.  Brief  the  press  and  radio  people  ahead  of  time, 
asking  them  to  hold  the  publicity  until  you  are  ready  for  it.  Make 
sure  that  all  the  organizations  that  were  drawn  in  from  the  begin- 
ning are  properly  represented  at  the  meeting.  Select  one  of  the 
most  outstanding  citizens  of  your  town  as  chairman.  Have  him 
describe  the  program  —  what  the  purposes  and  methods  of  the 
survey  are.  Let  the  chairman  of  each  sub-committee  give  a  ten- 
minute  report  on  his  team's  part  of  the  total  survey. 

When  all  the  reports  are  completed,  make  an  official  presenta- 
tion of  copies  to  the  library  and  to  leading  city  officials. 

Say  to  your  town,  "we  decided  to  look  at  ourselves  and  this 
is  what  we  found  out."  Give  the  facts  a  chance  to  sink  in. 


Wake  up  your 
community  with  facts, 


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After  Montclair's  audit,  Negro 

physicians  were  appointed   to 

hospital  staffs. 


And  Then  Go  On 

rT1ELL  YOUR  citizens  what  they  can  do  from  this  point  forward. 
J-  Hold  meetings  at  which  speakers  describe  the  way  in  which 
each  organization  can  continue  its  interest  in  civil  rights.  Use 
films,  film  strips  and  recordings  to  liven  up  your  meetings.  Some 
people  may  want  to  set  up  discussion  groups  or  bring  in  outside 
speakers  on  civil  rights.  Others  may  want  to  undertake  social 
action  for  federal,  state  and  local  laws  against  discrimination. 
When  the  citizens  of  Montclair  had  finished  the  self-survey  of 
their  own  town,  public  opinion  was  sufficiently  aroused  to  carry 
through  at  least  a  few  desirable  changes  in  social  practices.  For  the 
first  time,  Negro  physicians  were  appointed  to  the  consulting  staff 
of  the  local  hospital  and  permitted  to  treat  their  own  patients  in 
the  hospital.  The  school  system  undertook  to  promote  a  program 
of  intergroup  education  among  its  teachers.  These  are  samples 

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UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  A      000033880    6 
of  the  kind  of  progress  that  a  self-survey  on  civil  rights  can  help 
to  bring  about. 

Encourage  plans  for  periodic  re-audits,  so  your  community 
can  get  a  picture  of  its  own  progress  over  a  period  of  time.  What 
you  find  out  about  your  own  town  —  if  dramatically  presented  to 
all  its  citizens  —  can  be  the  inspiration  and  the  guide  to  a  really 
effective  program  of  social  action. 

"Let's  Look  At  Ourselves"  will  take  us  many  steps  ahead  on 
the  road  to  fulfillment  of  all  of  our  American  ideals. 


For  additional  copies  write  to 
COMMUNITY  RELATIONS  SERVICE 

15TH  FLOOR 
386  FOURTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  16,  N.  Y. 

10-55 


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